he country
would be prepared for; and if they were allowed to state their honest
opinion, he felt sure the greatest part of the present Government
would be heartily glad of. He would require Duties upon sugar
for revenue, but he could not conceal that if the revenue after a
diminution in the direct taxation, which he would propose, should
considerably fall off, he might be driven to raise the Import duties
on other articles. He thought the present House of Commons could
hardly be expected to reverse its decision upon the financial and
commercial policy of the country, and that accordingly a Dissolution
of Parliament would become necessary. Such a Dissolution, however,
could not be undertaken at this moment for the sake of public
business. The Mutiny Bill had not been voted nor the Supplies, and it
would require more than eight weeks before the new Parliament could
be assembled, and consequently the Crown would be left without Army or
money. A Dissolution could accordingly not take place before Easter.
He felt, however, that if he were to take office now, he would between
this and Easter be exposed to such harassing attacks that he should
not be able to withstand them; moreover, it would subject the members
of his Government to two elections in two months. He hoped therefore
that the Queen would try to obtain a Government by a coalition of the
Whigs and Peelites, but that this failing, if the Queen should send
again for him, and it was clear no other Government could be formed,
he would feel it his duty as a loyal subject to risk everything,
except his principles and his honour, to carry on the Government; and
he hoped that in such a case the Queen would look leniently on the
composition of the Cabinet which he could offer, and that the country
would, from the consideration of the circumstances, give it a fair
trial. He begged, however, that he might not be called upon to take
office except as a _dernier ressort_, a _necessity_.

I interrupted him when he spoke of his financial measures, and begged
him further to explain, when it appeared that a duty of about six
shillings on corn was the least he could impose to bring up the price
to forty-five shillings, which Sir R. Peel had stated to the House of
Commons was in his opinion the lowest price wheat would fall to after
the abolition of the Corn Laws.

We expressed our doubts as to the country agreeing to such a measure,
and our apprehension of the violent spirit which